By the time its latest contract with Formula One expires, Pirelli will have been associated with the series for at least 18 years.
With an option to extend the deal for a further year also included in the contract, the Italian tyre manufacturer could be with the series until 2028. The brand’s now-familiar coloured sidewalls are synonymous with the series, especially for the younger generation of fans.
From the current crop of drivers, only Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Nico Hülkenberg have driven Formula One cars in the era before Pirelli came on board.
Even so, the most recent contract extension was not straightforward. Competing interest from Bridgestone was genuine, but Formula One opted for continuity with its current suppliers despite teams reportedly backing a switch.
This hints at how Pirelli’s relationship with the series is perceived, with this era defined by thermal degradation. In short, it requires the drivers to manage tyre temperatures while driving to ensure it performs in its optimum temperature window.
This means the cars often have to be driven seconds off their true pace in order to maintain tyre performance, which has seen mixed reviews from fans and drivers.
But it’s also important to remember the support that Pirelli has given to Formula One. It stepped into the sport when the series was struggling to attract interest, while it was the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and Formula One that requested tyres that would ‘improve the racing’.
BlackBook Motorsport sits down with Pirelli’s head of motorsport Mario Isola to discuss the company’s long-term Formula One relationship, what impact Red Bull’s current dominance has on sponsors, and the brand’s involvement in other motorsport series.
We’re excited to continue being part of the ultimate open-air laboratory for tyres 🤩
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) October 10, 2023
Pirelli Executive Vice-Chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera on our commitment to transferring technology from race to road 👇 #Fit4F1 #F1 https://t.co/NmhHVZ3zvB pic.twitter.com/sOq44TFNFu
How did you approach your most recent extension with Formula One?
Mario Isola: It was quite a long process. The company decided to push to stay in Formula One, because we believe that Formula One could give us a good return on investment, despite the fact that we are in [the series] for many years now. Even since 2011, it’s still a very good platform us and it’s expanding in some markets like the United States.
There are many ideas for the future to develop technology thanks to Formula One that we can then export to our road tyres, that is what we have done since the beginning. There are a lot of reasons why we want to stay in Formula One, but mainly because we believe that it is still a very powerful platform and we can use this asset quite well.
What benefits have you seen from being associated with a global series like Formula One for so long?
MI: It takes time to associate a brand to a specific championship, especially with Formula One where you have [fans] that are more generic. If you think about rally, there is a niche of spectators that follow a lot of technical details, so they immediately learn who the supplier is and they are quick to associate.
In Formula One, it’s slightly more difficult because the number of spectators is much higher, much bigger. I believe that now we have a good link. If you talk to people that are not so passionate about motorsport, they understand that Pirelli and Formula One are connected. We are the supplier and that’s really important to promote the brand, especially in the countries where [the brand recognition of] Pirelli is not so strong.
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With an emphasis on smaller, lighter cars moving forward, will Formula One retain road relevance for you?
MI: It’s not a secret that we believe going back to 16-inch tyres is not the right decision for a number of reasons. First of all, the new cars will be lighter and smaller as you said, but they are supposed to be [almost] as quick as they are now. That means you’re still putting a lot of energy into the tyres, and energy means you need a load capacity of the tyres at the right level.
We told the FIA, we told the teams, that our proposal was to design a smaller 18-inch tyre, but not going back to a 16-inch tyre for these reasons, which they accepted. We cannot go back to a situation we had in the early 2000s, because you have a lot more safety devices like the halo, for example, that are bringing weight to the car.
The hybrid power unit with batteries is heavier than in the past, and this is the trade off you have to accept for the development of the new cars. The other point is that we cannot compromise on safety and nobody wants to go back to a situation where drivers are more in danger.
Does the lack of on-track competition at the moment in Formula One hurt the Pirelli brand?
MI: Dominance is not good in any sport. You want to see action on track, you want to see overtaking, and that’s why we designed tyres with a certain level of degradation with certain characteristics to encourage different strategies and to encourage more action.
The fact that you have someone dominating the championship is not good, and I’m not talking about Max [Verstappen] – any domination is not good. In the past, we had periods of domination with Schumacher, Vettel, Hamilton; this is the DNA of Formula One.
The reality at the moment is that we have this situation and this is affecting the audience, and a little bit of our investment. But it’s also true that if you don’t consider the domination of Red Bull, we have a very interesting championship with a lot of battles and many times in qualifying with 20 cars in less than one second.
There was also competition off the track with Bridgestone’s reported interest in the latest tyre tender. Did this add further focus to your attempts to renew?
MI: Obviously I heard about the interest, but there was no official confirmation. I believe that in the past we always work as a partner of the championship, not just a supplier, and I believe this was a reason why we have been selected for the next three years. And because we all always work together with the other stakeholders to supply the best product for the championship.
With Formula One focusing more on sustainability, how does this play into your strategy?
MI: A good example is that from this year our tyres are certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). We are the first tyre manufacturer to get three-star accreditation from the FIA. Sustainability is not something that our company started in the last few years, we started many years ago.
For example, the electricity used in our factories comes from renewable sources. We have reduced the usage of water in our factories. We recycle all the tyres that we use to get secondary materials. All our logistics is using sea freight and we have eliminated single-use plastic from our operations.
Obviously, sustainability is not a single action that can change the world, but it’s a number of different actions that we have implemented to reduce the impact in the future.
How do you see your contract with Formula One evolving?
MI: If you look back it’s a different world, we started with completely different management with Bernie [Ecclestone]. Now we have a different situation, but we are quite happy with the success of the sport.
For the future, I don’t see any major change, because the direction from Liberty Media is clear, the direction of [Formula One chief executive] Stefano Domenicali is clear.
We will continue to invest in activations, in new ideas, in promoting our brand, but it won’t be revolution as we had in the move from Ecclestone to Liberty Media. That was a different approach, so in the future I see continuity with what we are doing now.
You’re obviously not only involved in Formula One, but you signalled your intention to leave the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2025 season. What led you to that decision?
MI: We got a lot of useful information to develop our rally tyres in the highest category, and we are still committed to many other rally championships. We will still be in the European Rally Championship in the future, as well as a lot of national championships around the world.
It doesn’t mean that we will never come back to WRC. We will monitor the situation and if in the future we believe there are the conditions to come back, we will present our offer. But at the moment we believe we should take a moment away from WRC.
You have also begun to supply the series on the Road to MotoGP. Is this a sign of intent to supply MotoGP in the future?
MI: I’m not involved in the [motorcycling series], we have a dedicated team for that. But, I believe that having the opportunity to supply these series is important for our company that is a leader in motorbike tyres.
If you ask me for the future of MotoGP, I don’t know. As a Pirelli employee and a motorsport fan, I hope to see Pirelli in both championships. That would be clear evidence to be the leader in motorsport and to be able to produce tyres for the best series in the world, both two wheels and four wheels.